Tuesday, September 6, 2011

(CNN) -- Two Russian pilots aboard a MiG-31 fighter jet were killed when it crashed Tuesday, state media said.

The plane crashed minutes after take off from a military airport in the Perm region, the state-owned Ria Novosti news agency said.It was on a routine training flight, the news agency said, citing the defense ministry.A similar jet crashed in the region last year, but the pilots were able to parachute to safety, the news agency said.

Following the crash, the defense ministry grounded all MiG-31s while it investigated the cause.The plane was not carrying weapons when it went down, said Itar-Tass, another official news agency.